I own and operate a scaffolding company. If asked how karate fits into my everyday life as the CEO of the company, I would have to say that studying Shotokan under Sensei Takahashi has taught me the discipline of patience, confidence, focus, and analyzing and understanding my opponent. First, patience is learning how not to react but instead, to step back and evaluate all aspects of a situation. Listening attentively to the entire conversation helps and patience has taught me how to do that. I have also learned that through studying the art of Shotokan, I can remove myself personally from an issue and look at it more objectively in order to make a clear and decisive decision. This has instilled more confidence in my ability to manage everyday dealings with situations and others.

Next, analyzing and understanding my opponent in karate has transferred into my daily business day in that I am able to discern my opponent who could very well be a colleague or a true adversary. Through patience and focus, I am confident in making decisions in the corporate realm in hiring the appropriate personnel, contract negotiation, and determining a realistic timeline for a given project. In addition, knowing a true advisory is paramount as there are many negotiations that I have to turn away from in order to protect the interests of my company and all of those that are members of my team.

In closing, studying Shotokan under Sensei Takahashi has helped me to know my strengths and convert my weaknesses to strengths whether it is studying kata or facing an opponent. Karate has taught me how to be both a student and an instructor, and it has empowered me to open my mind to new ideas and to broaden my perspectives.